Criticized BLACKPINK but Praise LE SSERAFIM, Music Critic Came Under Fire

LE SSERAFIM’s stage at the 2024 Coachella has sparked intense criticism with the group’s weak live-singing skill. Despite the public ire, however, LE SSERAFIM still received positive reviews from music magazine NME, and is now even praised by a music critic. 

In particular, Kim Do-heon, former editor-in-chief of E-Zine and music critic, and member of the Korean Music Association, publicly defended LE SSERAFIM’s Coachella stage.

Specifically, Kim Do-heon made gentle and positive comments about LE SSERAFIM’s appearance at Coachella, saying, “What’s expected at Coachella isn’t a ‘perfect song’ but rather an energetic appearance only seen at that festival. It’s essential to plan to cover weaknesses and highlight strengths.” 

While LE SSERAFIM’s stage was criticized for vocal flaws, with all 5 members singing at a mediocre level, Kim Do-heon simply suggested the group needs to cover their weaknesses. As a result, the critic faced backlash from netizens for being overly biased and lacking professionalism. 

In fact, Some even suspect that Kim Do-heon has a “hidden” relationship with HYBE. 

The debate intensified as Kim Do-heon was discovered to have once criticized BLACKPINK’s Coachella stage. That year, the critic claimed that BLACKPINK wasn’t worthy of headlining the world’s largest music festival, evaluating the global girl group’s performance as lackluster, superficial, and devoid of narrative.

“If Coachella is valued, we shouldn’t let such a lackluster and superficial stage happen. This isn’t a stage to prove how beautiful and famous BLACKPINK is… Compared to many artists who have exploded on the Coachella stage, BLACKPINK has never reached the level of headliner artists. Sure, the group performed better, but their singing ability is terrible, and they’re not as passionate as the backing dancers… They wasted the glorious stage that every singer dreams of. Kpop missed the opportunity to be valued in the global market,” Kim Do-heon wrote.

It can be seen that Kim Do-heon was strict with BLACKPINK’s performance but lenient with LE SSERAFIM’s. Due to his “double standards”, Kim Do-heon was criticized by Knet. Amid this controversy, many believe Kim Do-heon shouldn’t call himself a music critic anymore.

Below are some comments from Korean netizens: 

• Did he watch LE SSERAFIM’s stage on mute?
• Isn’t this the person who criticized BLACKPINK’s Coachella? The bias is real
• He criticized BLACKPINK’s singing, but now says LE SSERAFIM needs a more energetic appearance, not a perfect song? Double standard much?
• Is he really a music critic…?
• BLACKPINK, who did way better, was faced with scathing criticism. He must have got a huge fat check from HYBE
• Don’t call yourself a critic anymore.

Source: K14